Study finds Canadian companies may be at risk when replacing IT equipment

The survey results also show there doesn’t appear to be an agreed-upon or standard way of dealing with a company’s end-of-life IT equipment. Thirty-eight per cent of IT professionals say their company sells its used equipment, while 37 per cent say their company gives old equipment to employees.

“The results indicate that companies may be risking more than they realize when upgrading IT equipment,” said Jack McSorley, CEO, TechReset. “Companies often limit their thinking to processes surrounding cybersecurity, with much less regard to the all-important data passed on through equipment replacement.”

TechReset commissioned the study to better understand the choices being made when it comes to end-of-life equipment. Respondents were 301 IT professionals from Canadian companies employing 100 or more people and earning at least $10 million in revenue in 2017. The full report can be found here.

“The digital devices we use — computers, tablets and phones — have significant value, but not when compared to the information stored within them,” said McSorley. “Do-it-yourself methods, even when done by in-house IT departments, pose potential risks and can fall short of guaranteeing complete data erasure or protection.”